1. FORESIGHT-RELATED NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
Ferenc KOVÁTS
TEP - Hungarian Technology Foresight Programme
FORESIGHT BRIDGE
Second Workshop under the ForeTech project
Brussels, 6 July 2004

2. SOURCES
Foresight Bridge questionnaire Cyprus, Czech Rep., Danemark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Malta, The Netherlands
ERA-NET ForSociety SSA report Overview of foresight activities of 14 member countries
Call for ideas 2004 DG - Research, Unit K2
BLUEPRINTS DG - Research, Unit K2
Country Guide to Regional Foresight Foren
Regional Foresight in the Cohesion Countries STRATA -ETAN Expert Group Action 2002

3. THE QUESTIONS Who initiated? Who implemented? What was the rationale?
What were the objectives?
When was implemented, time horizon?
What coverage (territory, sector)?
What was the follow-up?

4. THE ANSWERS
Bulgaria, Romania Pilot foresight exercises (ForeTech project)
Cyprus, Estonia, Malta Sectoral exercises (eForesee project)
Czech Republic (Selection of research priorities)
Hungary (Holistic, fully fledged foresight exercise)
Danemark, Germany, The Netherlands Embedded

5. FORESIGHT RELATED NEEDS
Prudent regional approach
Top-down (CEE) vs. bottom up (EU)
“Learning cycles” (Patrick Crehan)
“Learning by doing”
Transition economies, -societies
SME (subsequent financing system)
Innovation in less favoured countries
How to involve business (enterprises)
Financial support

6. PRUDENT REGIONAL APPROACH
BLUEPRINTS Agriblue (Liam + Patrick); Transvision; RIS + Foresight
Regional Foresight is recommended not as a panacea, but as a useful tool, if and only if the necessary context can be provided for (?) (Regional Foresight in the Cohesion Countries)
ForeTech proved that “pilot” foresight can be useful to create the necessary context
Regional Foresight is a regional answer to global challenges (complementary rather than competing)

7. TOP-DOWN vs. BOTTOM-UP Role of governments (esp. in CEE countries)
Seminar for public servants
Bottom-up (in more developed societies)
Top-down and bottom-up (regional foresight)
Road-show for 7 regions
Bottom-up initiative is a measure of democracy. (Personal remark)

8. TRANSITION ECONOMIES - SOCIETIES
Transition = economic, social, institutional
Research on transitions is needed (57,63)
Transition of CEE countries:
from centrally planned system to free market economy
increasing social inequalities
impacts of poverty on urban and rural development: loss of confidence